The drought not only brings agriculture to its knees but also stables: there is an alarm in Sicily

The drought alarm, which mainly affects Southern Italy (in the North the situation is the opposite with a delicate situation due to rainfall), does not only concern crops but also livestock farming. It is no coincidence that one and a half million kilos of hay, with alfalfa pellets, end up as a gift to try to save the Sicilian stables from hunger: this is the solidarity initiative launched by the Coldiretti farmers together with the Agricultural Consortiums of Italy, Bonifiche Ferraresi, Italian Breeders Association and Fedama – Federation of National Breed Associations to support Sicilian breeders affected by an unprecedented drought (which also affects viticulture, as we have told here in an Italy increasingly split in two by the effects of the changes climate.
The load left Porto Maggiore (Ferrara) and will reach the island companies in the provinces of Enna, Caltanissetta, Ragusa and Agrigento at the beginning of next week, where the greatest damage to the farms was reported. After the requests made by Coldiretti, the Government decreed a state of emergency but the situation is increasingly serious due to the lack of rain. The condition of the farms is dramatic where tens of thousands of cows and sheep risk dying of hunger and thirst, with empty feeders and drinkers, but damage is also reported on crops starting from wheat, with drops in some areas of up to 70% of the harvest.
So if the South “burns”, in the North there is a bad weather alert with 151 extreme events that have hit the area in the last 48 hours, between storms and hailstorms, according to Coldiretti analysis on Eswd data. The situation is worrying in all the northern regions, from Valle d’Aosta to Lombardy, from Veneto to Friuli Venezia Giulia. With the fields flooded and the prospect of the arrival of a new disturbance, the sowing alarm was triggered, which was made impossible by the water. “There is fear – explains Coldiretti – for those of corn, rice and soya, but also for vegetable transplants. Only once the water has been withdrawn will it be possible to assess the damage caused by asphyxiation of plants, such as pumpkins and melons, especially in the Mantua area. But there is also barley and wheat at risk of asphyxiation, meadows damaged by too much rain and tomato transplants blocked.” But damage to the production of fodder for animals has also been reported.